�鶹Լ�� Writers Feed

How I made the move from the UK to the US, writing on shows including Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene (now on �鶹Լ�� iPlayer)

2020-07-22T14:40:10+00:00

As Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene comes to �鶹Լ�� iPlayer we took the opportunity to catch up with Leo Richardson, who was previously an actor, playwright and then a writer for EastEnders, before he made the move to the USA. Since moving, Leo has been part of the writers' room for Katy Keene (and previously the Lee Daniels' show Star).

Leo introduces Katy Keene and describes how the US writers' room and pilot season system works as well as offering some great advice.

Watch Katy Keene on �鶹Լ�� iPlayer from Saturday 25th July

Watch a trailer for Katy Keene. This Riverdale spin-off witnesses the highs and lows of fashion designer Katy Keene, singer/songwriter Josie McCoy, performer Jorge Lopez/Ginger, and 'It Girl' Pepper Smith - as they chase their dreams together in The Big Apple.

Hi Leo, we last spoke to you when you attended a �鶹Լ�� Writersroom writer’s residential back in 2015 how did that work out? Did you take anything helpful away from that experience?

Yeah, I picked up some really good tips for pitching and made some great connections! It was fun!

At the time you were writing for EastEnders, when did you decide to make your next move and what prompted that decision?

Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who brought me onto the show had made the decision to leave, and I decided after three plus years it was time for me to do something different and scary. I had just sold an idea for a pilot to ABC Studios in America and a friend had a spare room at his house in LA, so I jumped on a plane and never came back… Mostly because I met a great guy and got married.

EastEnders Halloween episode 2015 written by Leo Richardson

Your next credits (according to IMDb) are on the Lee Daniels drama Star, about a trio of women forming a musical group in Atlanta with a cast including Queen Latifah. How did that come about?

After spending three months in the USA I decided to apply for an artist visa. It was a bit of process but having worked on EastEnders really helped. It was a dream of mine to work in a writers' room. I was at a friend’s party and happened to be introduced to an executive. We chatted and it was perfectly pleasant. A few weeks later my friend was running late to meet me at the gym and so I went to grab a coffee where I ran into that same executive, who told me they were looking for writers for a new show called STAR by the creator of Empire, whom I would come to realise was Lee Daniels (who made Precious and The Butler etc). I was super nervous. Luckily, he read my work, loved it and gave me a job. Never let anyone tell you “networking” isn’t valuable. And thank you to my friend Daniel for being late to the gym that day!

When we last spoke you talked about how you were a fan of the US style of writing drama in a writers’ room. Was that the model on Star and subsequently on Katy Keene? Can you explain more about how it works?

Yeah, sure. The writers' room is great because it’s like having a full time office job but it’s writing and you get to hang out with other writers all day. Some writers like that, some don’t, but I love it. I’m definitely more of a people person.

In the UK if you sell a series, you’re often doing 6 episodes and writing it yourself but US shows can be up to 22 episodes and you can’t do that alone! A typical network show will usually consist of about 12 writers at different levels of experience and background. The showrunner (usually, but not always the creator of the show) is at the top of the chain. You come into the office every day and the hours vary but it’s normally a work day (9-5). Some people torture writers and make them work all day and night until the small hours, but that seems wildly unproductive to me. You break the season as a group and then get assigned episodes to write as you go along. Sometimes you “group write” a script, which means you all write individual scenes and/or storylines and then the writer of the episode gets to stitch it all together then do their own pass on it. This just helps get the script written quicker because network TV moves so fast. Sometimes you get to write the whole script by yourself. It just depends on what the showrunner prefers and how much time you have.

Pepper Smith (JULIA CHAN), Katy Keene (LUCY HALE), Josie McCOY (ASHLEIGH MURRAY) in Katy Keene (Image Credit: �鶹Լ�� / The CW Network)

The other great thing is that the writer mostly always flies to set to “produce” their episode. This really just means you’re representing the showrunner and writers' room to make sure the right words are said, or handle any changes. You’re really representing the showrunner on the ground.

One of the parts I love about set is working with the actors because that’s how I started out my career. I remember my first time on set at STAR when Queen Latifah called me over and whispered to me: “This is a weak line”. I sh*t my pants but she was totally right. And she was really kind about it. She let me go away and come back with something that was actually way better. That was a good example of how to handle that situation. Some actors put you on the spot in front of the entire set and you fantasise about writing them out Joey Tribbiani “Days of our Lives” style (he falls down an elevator shaft, if you didn’t get that reference).

All in all, set experience is one of the most rewarding parts of the job - watching it all come together is magic. You barely get any sleep but it’s absolutely worth it.

You also mention being both writer and producer, can you explain?

There is a very set hierarchy in the USA writers' room. Once you get to a certain level of experience, you become a producer on shows and you get more responsibility.

Katy Keene (LUCY HALE), K.O. Kelly (ZANE HOLTZ) (Image Credit: �鶹Լ�� / The CW Network)

Can you describe how the US pilot season works? What has been your experience of the pilot season?

Yes, basically, every year around August/September, the broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox etc) will hear pitches and buy ideas. They’ll foster writers through the writing process and select a handful of comedies and dramas to shoot as pilots. Out of those, they’ll select their favourites to take to a full series. I’ve been through this and it’s chaos. Tight deadlines and a lot of notes. But with the emergence of so many streaming services, pilot season is becoming less and less important. You can sell a show to Netflix or Amazon any time of year!

Katy Keene is set in the same universe as the massively popular Netflix show Riverdale. Can you give us an introduction to that world and the Archie comics and how Katy Keene fits into that world?

Yes, Katy Keene is a comic book character from Archie comics, created in the 50’s. She was a model/actress and fashion designer and pretty effing fabulous. In the TV show Katy Keene is an aspiring fashion designer trying to make it alongside her friends; Josie McCoy (From Riverdale) a singer and musician, Jorge aka Ginger Lopez, a drag queen with Broadway ambitions and Pepper Smith, a con artist and socialite. The show is about being in your 20’s and being broke but having big dreams. It’s about the climb.

Josie McCOY (ASHLEIGH MURRAY)(Image Credit: �鶹Լ�� / The CW Network)

Does the world of Katy Keene have a specific aesthetic? What can we expect from the show?

The TV adaptation is set in an elevated and fantastical New York of the imagination. It's heightened and escapist, which people need right now. There is so much darkness in the world. I first saw the pilot when I had to meet the showrunners (Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Michael Grassi) to interview for the job and I was hooked within minutes. It reminded me of the first time I saw Ugly Betty. So much humour, heart and charm and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Expect it to feel like a warm hug. You could probably watch the entire season over a weekend.

Katy Keene (LUCY HALE)(Image Credit: �鶹Լ�� / The CW Network)

Katy Keene has been praised for its inclusion and diversity. That seems to be a running theme through your work. Why is that so important for you?

Yeah, I would say Katy Keene is probably the most female forward, diverse and queer show The CW has on its platform - and the fans here have been very vocal about the stories that they connected to. I am so proud to have been even just a small part of that. When I was younger, I used to watch Queer As Folk in my bedroom with the sound down so my parents wouldn’t know. I was terrified of anyone finding out I might be gay, especially while I was still figuring it out for myself.

When I write, I love to ask what my 16-year-old self would want to see but now it’s become so much more than that. The idea that you can connect to someone through that box in the living room and give them a little hope when they are going through something hard is the real magic of television. I’m proud that every show I have written for has tackled homophobia, transphobia and racism. Right now, LGBTQ+ people are being persecuted and tortured, for example in Chechnya and Russia. We still have so much work to do. I try to support charities and do my part, but in entertainment we can help make a difference, too.

Ginger (JONNY BEAUCHAMP)(Image Credit: �鶹Լ�� / The CW Network)

What happens next for you?

Despite the great critical reception and an overwhelming outpouring of love Katy Keene was cancelled, so there won’t be a second season. The CW had announced 13 more episodes (which would have been season 2) but I think when Coronavirus hit, a lot of things changed, networks lost money and shows got cancelled. Had it not been for that, we would be writing season 2 now. Our start date was actually the day we went into lockdown in California. It was a dream job and the hardest part of being a writer is having to say goodbye before you’re ready to. But I have been using the time trapped at home to work on my own ideas, mostly things I’ve been excited about but never got to. I have a half hour drama with �鶹Լ�� Studios that I am ready to pitch and some other cool things over in the USA. I don’t want to jinx any of them, so I guess stay tuned?

Leo Richardson

You self-define as “queer and working class”, what would be your advice to other writers from a similar (or any) background who are looking to follow you into the industry? Are there practical steps that you think the industry should be taking?

Firstly, the working class is desperately underrepresented on TV and that’s probably because there aren’t enough of us at the top. I’ve always believed it stemmed from us not always being able to support ourselves through the ups and downs of life as an artist. My biggest advice for someone trying to break in is to be prepared to take rejection and keep going, even if you have to work other jobs on the way up, like I did. I’ve been a personal trainer, a (terrible) builder, a waiter, a receptionist… you name it. Write every day, read plays and scripts, watch theatre, TV and film, find out who people are and know your s**t. Apply to every workshop, programme and competition because eventually, if what you write truly stands out, someone will see it. But you have to have a point of view. Don’t write what you think people want. Write what you want. That’s the stuff that stands out. And I guess remember that luck is being ready for when an opportunity arises.

My advice to LGBTQ+ writers is the same. We are not nearly where we need to be. Homophobia is still there, it’s just hidden better. Whenever I have pitched a TV show with gay leads in Hollywood, the resounding answer is always “it feels too niche”. We all know this means “too gay”. There are great shows that become the exception, but they are not in the majority. And let’s be honest, commissioners and executives look to the same select few writers to do “the gay shows” over and over. There should be room for us all but the only way we can make that happen is to keep writing, creating and putting ourselves out there. Every queer voice counts.

Watch Katy Keene on �鶹Լ�� iPlayer from Saturday 25th July

Follow Leo Richardson on Twitter

Watch an interview with former X-Files showrunner (and current head of Big Light Productions) Frank Spotnitz about the US and UK systems

Read EastEnders scripts in our library including Leo Richardson's script for the Halloween episode in 2015

How producing my own web series started me on the road to Albert Square

2017-05-09T14:12:14+00:00

So, I’m sitting in a room filled with soap-writing royalty. I’ve got Daran Little on one side, Carey Andrews on the other and a little way down the table is Rob Gittins. Across the table, Sean O’Connor, is waiting for me to pitch my ideas for my first episode of EastEnders. No pressure then.

Nope, not an anxiety dream, but my new job as a commissioned writer on one of the biggest shows on the �鶹Լ��. I was one of eight writers selected for the EastEnders Shadow Scheme in 2016 (here's a blog about that from Lee Sutton).

Since then I’ve written my first ‘proper’ episode and am currently working on my second.

The road to Albert Square

When you’re a brand new writer, trying to get something, anything, off the ground seems pretty daunting. My biggest piece of advice is to try a bit of DIY – do it yourself. That idea you’ve got burning inside – can it be turned into a webseries that showcases your ability to write on-going episodes, develop characters and write to cliff-hangers - all essential skills for TV writers.

My route into writing television was via short films, a stage play and webseries. My first short was produced in 2012, and my play followed hot on its heels. In 2013 I wrote and directed a webseries based on the play, 3some (careful when Googling that!) and a publisher picked up the play. That was where things started to gently snowball. I say ‘gently’, because it really was a slow process, more like a snail’s pace than an avalanche. We released the webseries to decent reviews and moderate views. One year on, the awards and festival season kicked in. Suddenly we were being nominated for, and winning, awards and being selected for festivals worldwide. We released the series on multiple platforms and watched the views creep up (across all our platforms we’re currently hovering around the 3.5 million mark). I won the 2014 Indie Series Award for Best Drama Writing, and soon there was press interest too. Then a few job offers came in and I signed to an agent. That made me eligible for the �鶹Լ�� Shadow Schemes… and here we are.

Lisa Gifford

Doing your own work doesn’t need to cost a lot of money – get a group of filmmakers together that are all at the same stage as you and collaborate. Don’t know anyone? Get in touch with local schools, colleges and universities. Find local clubs. Trawl social media. Find your tribe. They’re out there. When we made 3some I worked with a mixed group of students and newcomers to the industry and we shot over weekends. Now most of our crew are out there doing awesome work and getting paid well for it (and we still get together when we can to collaborate for fun). Everyone has to start somewhere and for many people that’s on low budget projects. Bring together a team you trust, who will give you honest feedback, keep you grounded and kick you up the backside when you need it.

But before all that, it’s up to you, as the writer, to bring the script – something collaborators can’t say no to. Write it, write it well and don’t rush it. Yes, you’ll eventually need to learn to turn work around quickly, but your first few projects are not the time to worry about that. Craft your work, and hone it carefully before even thinking about shooting. Find other writers in your peer group to give you notes and listen to what they tell you – you might not agree with the note, but it indicates something hasn’t connected somewhere. If you get the same note more than three times, you’ve got something that needs fixing. If you are lucky enough to get an experienced reader or writer to give you notes – listen carefully to what they say. They’ve been around the block enough times to know how to make your script better.

This external content is available at its source: Watch the official trailer for 3some

With this in mind, write to what you can achieve. If you have no kit, write something you can shoot on a phone camera. If you’ve only got your house to shoot in, set it in your living room. If the script and acting are good enough, it will be compelling regardless. If you want to be a professional screenwriter you will have to write within restrictions and budgets – now’s the time to start. If it fails, that’s fine too. You’ll learn more from your failures than you will your successes. You don’t have to release it if it doesn’t work. Use it as a learning experience and do better next time.

In reality, it’s hard for new writers to get their scripts read, but if you’ve got something tangible to show, especially if that something has festivals and awards attached, it becomes a lot easier to get attention. It’s a big ask for someone to plough through a full length script from a new writer – even the first ten page read is quickly becoming the first couple of pages. But if it’s a four minute web episode they can watch while eating their lunchtime sandwich, it’s a much more reasonable ask. And, of course, you’re going to make your first episode so compelling that they have to watch to the end – aren’t you? And then they’re going to be fired up and request your work.

And here’s the caveat to all this. You MUST have a portfolio of writing ready as a back up before you release your series. I made this mistake in the early days. A few shorts are not enough; you need some solid TV scripts that showcase your best work ready to fire off at a moment’s notice, and some brilliant ideas for pitches in your back pocket. When you’ve got all this together, you’re in a strong position to move forward.

I did it. You can too. It was hard. It still is hard. I still make my own work. I shot a short film over a weekend last month and I’m currently raising finance for a feature film. No matter where my career goes, I can’t imagine giving up that ethos of doing my own thing alongside it, because it’s fun, it’s fulfilling and it means I get to work with my friends. There are no guarantees, but why not do something to give yourself an edge?

So what’s stopping you? See you at the web festivals.

Watch Lisa’s webseries 3some and find out more about Lisa on her website

Follow Lisa on Twitter